Live Charcoal Supply Generator

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for igniting solid fuels and storing ignited solid fuels, comprising a housing having a first chamber containing a burner, a second chamber separated from the first chamber, for storing ignited solid fuel, and a fluid fuel supply chamber containing a replaceable fluid fuel supply and a flow control regulating flow of fluid fuel to the burner. A removable grate supports the solid fuel above the burner to effect ignition. Ignited solid fuel is stored in the second chamber, and has an air supply restricted in flow to less than that serving the first chamber. The first and second chambers may have a removable cover. The housing may have legs of adjustable length. The fluid fuel supply may comprise a butane canister releasably retained in place by a spring biased retainer. The housing may comprise a pull-out drawer for holding a supply of unignited solid fuel for replenishment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to charcoal fueled appliances, and more particularly, to apparatus for igniting charcoal and storing ignited charcoal for subsequent use in a charcoal fueled appliance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Certain small scale combustion based consumer appliances such as hookahs, food smokers, grills of the type for example known as hibachis, and others typically utilize heat generated by charcoal. Ordinarily, the consumer appliance is loaded with charcoal, which is then ignited using a liquid accelerant for example. Petroleum based liquid accelerants are widely sold in retail outlets.

In some cases, it may be preferable to provide pre-ignited charcoal for immediate use in a consumer appliance rather than initiating combustion of unlit charcoal in that appliance. Conventional charcoal grills ands other devices may be loaded with charcoal briquettes which are then ignited, and from which a supply of pre-ignited charcoal may be withdrawn as needed. However, such devices may not be ideally suited for maintaining such a supply of pre-ignited charcoal. Many grills and like devices are unduly large and bulky, may require that a liquid accelerant be maintained, and may be designed such that stored ignited charcoal burns inordinately quickly, thereby depleting the supply and requiring constant attention to assure that there is an adequate supply of pre-ignited charcoal.

There exists a need for a device which addresses the various aspects of igniting and storing a supply of ignited charcoal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above stated need by setting forth an apparatus which is particularly adapted to ignite and store charcoal. The device is fully self-contained in that a separate supply of accelerant and auxiliary items such as matches need not be maintained. The apparatus stores or integrally incorporates these items, as well as a small yet adequate supply of fresh charcoal for replenishment. The apparatus also maintains pre-ignited charcoal burning at a rate that conserves the charcoal rather than being subject to rapid depletion.

To these ends, the novel apparatus comprises a housing having two chambers, one for igniting charcoal, hereinafter referred to as an ignition chamber, and the second for storing ignited charcoal. The second chamber is referred to hereinafter as a storage chamber. A burner is provided in that chamber used for igniting charcoal. A compartment for housing a replaceable fuel canister, fuel valve, and ignition source for lighting the burner may be disposed adjacent the ignition chamber. The housing may also comprise a drawer or other receptacle for storing a supply of charcoal awaiting ignition.

It is an object of the invention to provide self-contained apparatus for igniting charcoal and storing ignited charcoal.

Another object of the invention is to conserve stored ignited charcoal for as long as feasible.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for igniting and storing solid fuels according to at least one aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan detail view of FIG. 1, drawn to enlarged scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, according to at least one aspect of the invention, the invention is directed to an apparatus 100 for igniting solid fuels such as charcoal briquettes (not shown) and storing the ignited solid fuel. The solid fuel is first ignited by a combustion system and then moved to a storage chamber. The apparatus 100 may comprise a housing 102 which is generally divided into an ignition chamber 104 and the storage chamber 106. Ignition is performed by placing the solid fuel above a live flame generated by a burner 108. The combustion system includes the burner 108, a supply of fluid fuel such as a butane canister 110, and a flow control 112 for controlling flow of the fluid fuel such as butane to the burner 108. The flow control 112 may be conventional, such as being a component of known stoves such as those used for camping or those used for general household use in kitchens. Conventional flow controls may include an inlet port (not separately shown) for receiving the output of the butane canister 110 and directing the butane to a conduit 114 leading to the burner 108, and an integral valve (not separately shown) for regulating and stopping flow of butane to the burner 108. The flow control 112 may incorporate a suitable ignition source (not shown), such as a manually operated piezoelectric sparking device, an electrical sparking device, a friction based sparking device such as a flint striker, a pilot light, or any other suitable ignition source. If the flow control 112 does not incorporate a suitable ignition source, a separate ignition source will be provided in a manner enabling a person to ignite butane at the burner 108.

The present invention is described in terms of butane as a fluid fuel for the burner 108, but could utilize other fuels, such as compressed natural gas, alcohol in liquid or gel form, kerosene, and other combustible liquids may be substituted for butane, with appropriate modification being made to the burner 108 and the flow control 112. Should the selected fuel be resistant to spontaneous flow to the burner 108, such as alcohol gel and relative thick hydrocarbon liquids, a pump (not shown) may be provided to promote flow of the fuel to the burner 108. It is preferred to utilize butane because pre-charged canisters of butane such as the butane canister 110 exist as commercial products currently enjoying widespread retail distribution.

A grate 116 is provided to support the solid fuel above the burner 108. It should be noted at this point that orientational terms such as above refer to the subject drawing as viewed by an observer. The drawing figures depict their subject matter in orientations of normal use, which could obviously change should the apparatus 100 be held in a different position. Therefore, orientational terms must be understood to provide semantic basis for purposes of description, and do not limit the invention or its component parts in any particular way.

The grate 116 may comprise a perforated surface on which the solid fuel is placed, and legs 118 which are dimensioned and configured such that when the legs 118 rest on the floor 120 of the housing, the perforated surface of the grate 116 is close to yet suitably spaced above the burner 108. For example, depending upon the flame characteristics of the burner 108, the perforated surface may be located approximately at the level of the top of the flame or flames of the burner 108. The grate 116 is thus manually removable from the housing 102, for example to facilitate cleaning.

The ignition chamber 104 is defined above the floor 120 and within walls 122, 124, 126 and a partition 128 of the housing 102. The storage chamber 106 may be defined adjacent the ignition chamber 104, using the walls 122 and 126, and an end wall 130 in addition to the floor 120. Both the ignition chamber 104 and the storage chamber 106 may be upwardly open. To control rate of combustion of ignited solid fuel stored in the storage chamber 106, and to protect the burner 108 and solid fuel in process of being ignited, a cover 132 may be provided. The cover 132 substantially closes the storage chamber 106 to the ambient environment such that combustion of ignited solid fuel is impeded but not entirely deprived of combustion air. The cover 132 may be manually installed on and removable from the housing 102, having a handle 134 for lifting and maneuvering the housing 102, and tabs 136 for retaining the cover 132 to the housing 102.

Combustion air for the storage chamber 106 may be obtained through the ignition chamber 104. It will be seen that the wall 124 bears air openings 138. The partition 128, which separates the ignition chamber 104 from the storage chamber 106, bears air openings 140. The openings 138, 140 are both small, perhaps on the order of one eighth of an inch in diameter, and are sized to enable air flow into the respective ignition chamber 104 and storage chamber 106 at a rate approximating that of actual consumption of oxygen. The storage chamber 106 may be devoid of openings elsewhere in any wall of the storage chamber 106 other than the partition 128. Consequently, combustion air for the storage chamber 106 is obtained only from the ignition chamber 104.

The air openings 138 have a total cross sectional area, as do the air openings 140. These air openings 138, 140 are selected in dimensions and number such that the air openings 140 of the partition 128 have a total cross sectional area which is less than the total cross sectional area of the first air openings 138 of the ignition chamber 104.

Exhaust fumes generated by the burner 108, when the cover 132 is not in place closing the ignition chamber 104 and storage chamber 106, and fumes from stored ignited solid fuel, now in the form of glowing ash covered embers, may be exhausted to the ambient environment through gaps (not shown) between the housing 102 and the cover 132. If the cover 132 is fabricated to such a close fit that insufficient gaps are present to pass exhaust fumes, additional openings such as the openings 138, 140 may be introduced to the housing 102.

Referring also to FIG. 2, a fuel supply chamber 142 may be located outside and adjacent to the ignition chamber 104. The butane canister 110 and the flow control 112 are disposed within the fuel supply chamber 142. The butane canister 110 may be manually removable from the fuel supply chamber 142 for replenishment. However, the butane canister 110 may be retained in place within the fuel supply chamber 142 by the following devices. A tab 144 may be affixed to the wall 122 of the housing 102 such as by rivets 146. A hook 148 which is slidably mounted on a rod 150 engages the lip 152 of the butane canister 110. The rod 150 may be fixed to the wall 122 by rivets 156. A spring 154 may be disposed to engage the hook 148 and urge the hook 148 to the left, as seen in FIG. 2. However, pressure of the spring 154 is easily overcome by finger pressure to release the butane canister 110 from its place within the fuel supply chamber 142.

Returning to FIG. 1, the housing 102 may comprise legs 158, 160, 162, 164 which project downwardly from the housing 102 and are disposed to space the housing 102 above a horizontal environmental surface (not shown) when the apparatus 102 is in use. The leg 160, which may be typical of the remaining legs 158, 162, 166, may be adjustable in length by incorporating alignable holes (only outer holes 168 are visible in FIG. 1) which receive pins such as the pin 170. The pin 170 may be inserted into any selected one of the holes to fix the leg 160 at a desired length.

The housing 102 may comprise a storage drawer 172 supported on the housing 102, for holding solid fuel supply (not shown). The storage drawer 172 may be arranged to open and close in directions indicated by an arrow 174.

The present invention is susceptible to modifications and variations which may be introduced thereto without departing from the novel principles.

The cover 132 could be modified from the above description, for example, being hinged to the body 102 if desired (this option is not shown). Also, separate covers (not shown) for the ignition chamber 104 and the storage chamber 106 could be provided in place of the unitary cover 132.

Length of the legs 158, 160, 162, 164 may be accomplished by a screw mechanism, by friction, by internal releasable detents, or in any other suitable way as an alternative to the holes (such as the holes 168) and pin such as the pin 170.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible 

1. Apparatus for igniting solid fuels and storing ignited solid fuels, comprising: a combustion system comprising a burner for generating live flame from a fluid fuel, a supply of fluid fuel for serving the combustion system, a flow control for controlling flow of the fluid fuel from the supply of fluid fuel to the burner, and a grate for supporting the solid fuel above the burner; and a housing defining an ignition chamber for igniting the solid fuel, a storage chamber for storing ignited solid fuel, which said storage chamber is substantially closed to the ambient environment such that combustion of ignited solid fuel is impeded but not entirely deprived of combustion air, and a support compartment, wherein the. the storage chamber is adjacent the ignition chamber, the housing comprises a partition separating the storage chamber from the ignition chamber and an openable cover which is disposed to close the storage chamber to the ambient environment.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover of the housing is manually removable from the housing.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the grate is manually removable from the housing.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fuel supply chamber located outside and adjacent to the ignition chamber, and wherein the fluid fuel supply and the flow control are disposed within the fuel supply chamber.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the combustion system comprises a manually removable canister for storing fluid fuel.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the fuel contained within the removable canister is butane.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a retainer disposed to retain the canister in place within the fuel supply chamber.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising first air openings formed in a wall of the ignition chamber for admitting combustion air to the ignition chamber, and wherein the partition of the housing has second air openings for admitting combustion air from the ignition chamber to the storage chamber, and the storage chamber is devoid of openings elsewhere in any wall of the storage chamber other than the partition, whereby combustion air for the storage chamber is obtained only from the ignition chamber.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first air openings of the ignition chamber have a total cross sectional area, and the second air openings of the partition of the housing have a second total cross sectional area which is less than the total cross sectional area of the first air openings of the ignition chamber.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises legs which project from the housing and are disposed to space the housing above a horizontal environmental surface when the apparatus is in use.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the legs are adjustable in length.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage drawer supported on the housing, for holding solid fuel supply.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises at least one handle for lifting and maneuvering the housing. 